Fort Necessity National Battlefield
The battle at Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754 was the opening action of the French and Indian War. This war was a clash of British, French and American Indian cultures. It ended with the removal of French power from North America. The stage was set for the American Revolution.
About 1 hours from Pittsburgh by car.
Alerts
- InformationOpen Season
Jumonville Glen, Mount Washington Tavern, and the Picnic Area are OPEN until October 31st. Jumonville Glen and the Picnic Area are open daily sunrise to sunset, and Mount Washington Tavern is open every day 10 am to 4 pm.
- InformationCCC Camp Picnic Pavilions Closed
The pavilions in the CCC Camp Picnic Area are closed for the immediate future for restoration work.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Fort Necessity National Battlefield | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
| Braddock Grave | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
| Jumonville Glen | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
Jumonville Glen: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | Sunrise to Sunset |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Apr 30, 2027Closed November - April | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Fort Necessity/National Road Interpretive and Education Center ↗Passport stamp
The exhibits an programs at The Fort Necessity/National Road Interpretive and Education Center immerse visitors and students in the diverse cultures and customs of mid-eighteenth century Pennsylvania.
- Mount Washington Tavern
The Mount Washington Tavern is a museum that focuses on travel and life along the National Road in the early 1800s, when it was a stagecoach stop along the nation's first federally funded highway.
Explore
Things to do
- Hike the Fort Necessity Trails15-180 Minutes
Fort Necessity National Battlefield has five miles of hiking trails to explore. You can walk to the battlefield and back in 15 minutes, or hike for hours through forests and meadows.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fort Necessity Junior Ranger60-120 Minutes
Come to the park, watch the movie, visit Fort Necessity, and complete the Junior Ranger Activity Book to earn a Fort Necessity Junior Ranger badge.
Opens on the Park Service site - Take a Self-guided Battlefield Tour15-120 Minutes
Self-guided tours of Fort Necessity National Battlefield can be accessed using your mobile device.
Opens on the Park Service site - Watch Road of Necessity in the Visitor Center20 Minutes
The twenty-minute orientation film Road of Necessity takes viewer along the path from Washington's first trip over the Alleghenies to the creation of the National Road.
Opens on the Park Service site - Historic Weapons Demonstrations5-10 Minutes
Black powder weapons demonstrations are given daily throughout the summer at Fort Necessity as staffing permits.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Veteran's Day Timeline11/0710:00 AM · freeJoin us at the battlefield and reconstructed fort.
News
- 272nd anniversary of the Battle of Fort Necessity ↗2026-06-24
Battle of Fort Necessity Anniversary Encampment with Fort Walks and Soldier's Life Programs with 18th century small arms and artillery demonstrations.
- Juneteenth Observance at Fort Necessity National Battlefield ↗2026-06-11
Friday, June 19, 2026, and Saturday, June 20, 2026, Fort Necessity National Battlefield will observe the Juneteenth anniversary by having programs on Civil War soldiers and 19th century muskets.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Guidebooks for the Mid-Atlantic
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 2× · Belted Kingfisher 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 151 birds, 35 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsBarred owl · Black vulture · Broad-winged hawk · Cooper's hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · Great horned owl · Merlin · Northern saw-whet owl · Red-shouldered hawk · Red-tailed hawk · Sharp-shinned hawk · Turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada goose · Great blue heron · Green heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican woodcock · Killdeer · Least sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock dove · Ruffed grouse · Wild turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern flicker · Pileated woodpecker · Red-bellied woodpecker · Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney swift · Ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · Alder flycatcher · American Tree Sparrow · American crow · American goldfinch · American pipit · American redstart · American robin · Baltimore oriole · Barn swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black and white warbler · Black-billed cuckoo · Black-capped chickadee · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue jay · Blue-gray gnatcatcher · Blue-winged Warbler · Brown creeper · Brown thrasher · Brown-headed cowbird · Canada Warbler · Cape May Warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Cedar waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping sparrow · Common Redpoll · Common grackle · Common raven · Common yellowthroat · Connecticut warbler · Dark-eyed junco · Eastern Whip-poor-will · Eastern bluebird · Eastern kingbird · Eastern meadowlark · Eastern phoebe · Eastern towhee · Eastern wood-pewee · European starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field sparrow · Fox sparrow · Golden-crowned kinglet · Golden-winged warbler · Grasshopper sparrow · Gray catbird · Gray-cheeked thrush · Great crested flycatcher · Hermit thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned lark · House Finch · House sparrow · House wren · Indigo bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Least flycatcher · Lincoln's sparrow · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Parula · Northern Waterthrush · Northern cardinal · Northern goshawk · Northern mockingbird · Olive-sided flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard oriole · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia vireo · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple martin · Red-breasted nuthatch · Red-eyed vireo · Red-winged blackbird · Rose-breasted grosbeak · Ruby-crowned kinglet · Rusty blackbird · Scarlet tanager · Solitary vireo · Song sparrow · Swainson's thrush · Swamp sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree swallow · Tufted titmouse · Veery · Vesper sparrow · Warbling vireo · White-breasted nuthatch · White-crowned sparrow · White-eyed vireo · White-throated sparrow · Willow flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-bellied flycatcher · Yellow-billed cuckoo · Yellow-breasted chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Warbler · Yellow-throated vireo · ovenbird
Small mammalsChipmunk · Deer mouse · Eastern cottontail · Fox squirrel · Gray squirrel · Masked shrew · Meadow vole · Porcupine · Red squirrel · Short-tailed shrew · Southern red-backed vole · White-footed mouse · Woodland jumping mouse · hairy-tailed mole · meadow jumping mouse · smokey shrew · southern bog lemming · southern flying squirrel · star-nosed mole
PredatorsBlack bear · Common raccoon · Fisher · Gray fox · Long-tailed weasel · Striped skunk
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed deer
BatsBig brown bat · Little brown myotis · North American Hoary Bat · Red bat · northern long-eared bat · tricolored bat
Also on the checklistGroundhog · Virginia opossum · feral cat
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 16 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Weather varies considerably within each season. Be prepared with layered clothing. Precipitation is common throughout the year. Spring: Temperatures usually range from 25°F to 70°F. On average, May is the wettest month. Summer: Temperatures usually range from 50°F to 80°F. July is the warmest month. Fall: Temperatures usually range from 30°F to 70°F. Fall foliage is at its peak around mid-October. Winter: Temperatures range from 15°F to 40°F. January is the coldest month.
Questions people ask
Does Fort Necessity charge an entrance fee?
No. Fort Necessity is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fort Necessity?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Fort Necessity right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Open Season; CCC Camp Picnic Pavilions Closed.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Fort Necessity?
225,783 recreation visits in 2025, number 168 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Fort Necessity?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show AT&T 5G. No reported coverage for Verizon and T-Mobile. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Fort Necessity established?
1961.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Fort Necessity?
Weather varies considerably within each season. Be prepared with layered clothing.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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